Mall of America’s AI Chatbot is Neat, But Needs Schooling

Determined to stay relevant and engaging in the age of Amazon, Mall of America is adding a series of high-tech tools including roving robots and a virtual assistant.

And to think: It's only been two years since MOA added public WiFi.

The tech rollout started over the summer with tablet-sized interactive directories to replace the old, static signs. You can create an itinerary, and send it to your phone.

If you braved the mall on Black Friday, you may have met Pepper, the Humanoid robot by SoftBank Robotics, who looks like she stepped straight out of the Jetsons. She doesn’t sweep or make breakfast like Rosey, but she does offer directions and shopping suggestions. Three "Peppers" are currently roaming the mall during the day on a trial basis. They often hang out near the directories to engage with people.

But visitors don’t need to wait for Pepper—help is available in many forms on the gadget that nearly everybody brings to the mall these days: a smartphone. Rather than fight the phone as the enemy of mall traffic, MOA is trying to embrace ways technology can add to the experience of going to the mall today—especially a mall with nearly five miles of hallways to navigate.

“Technology has allowed us to enhance the overall experience and develop a relationship with our guests,” senior vice president of business development and marketing Jill Renslow said when we talked tech over the summer. “Whether by text, social, or mobile, you can always have a conversation with us.”

MOA’s social media team maintains an impressive 1.04 minute response time on customer texts and tweets. And now, they’re getting help from a "chatbot." Just last week, MOA launched a multi-platform virtual assistant to answer customer questions about gifting, restaurants, attractions, and events. The artificial intelligence tool is the first of its kind at a shopping center, according to developer Satisfi Labs. The chatbot can be accessed on the MOA website, mobile app, Facebook page, and as an Amazon Alexa skill.

This is an expansion of a test MOA ran with the same developer last holiday season using a “virtual elf,” and it’s a huge step forward. The elf was dumb. You could ask for a lunch suggestion or a fun activity to do with kids, and it would offer the same lame response, like "take pictures in front of the nutcracker." Huh? So this week, I've been testing the new chatbot from inside the mall, and from my laptop at home. It's definitely smarter than the elf, but not quite ready for advanced studies. My sense? Human concierges who answer customer queries need not fear for their jobs just yet.

When I asked where to park nearest the SMAAASH interactive arcade, the chatbot told me “East, West, or North.” That’s most of the places you can park at the 5.6 million- square-foot mall, and didn’t help me narrow it down.

For “fun activities to do with a 5 year old,” the chatbot suggested Moose Mountain Adventure Golf (fine, although maybe a little advanced for age 5) or Sleep Number. Now, I’m sure a lot of parents would love to drop their 5 year old off at Sleep Number for a nap, but somehow Crayola Experience seems like it would have been a better response. What about Build-a-Bear, or Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, or—hello!—Nickelodeon Universe?

It made me wonder if tenants have to pay to be mentioned by the virtual assistant, but Sarah Townes, MOA’s vice president of marketing, says no, they do not.

Still, when I asked the chatbot for breakfast suggestions, all I got was Caribou Coffee, Caribou Coffee, Caribou Coffee. (Seriously—three of the mall's five Caribou locations popped up.) What about donuts at Tim Hortons? Or Starbucks? Cedar + Stone, Urban Table serves breakfast at the mall. So does FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar.

Townes says the mall worked with tenants to load the chatbot with information they wanted to focus on throughout the holiday season. To me, it feels like more time was spent developing the tool than the content—a common problem in the world of technology. A virtual assistant is only as useful as the actual information it provides.

Satisfi Labs says the chatbot will continue to "learn" as it processes common questions and gets loaded with more data by human employees. Indeed, I saw evidence of that: When I first asked it whether the mall has a spa, the response was: “I’m sorry, I don’t think I have that info.” Two days later, I tried again, and this time, the chatbot knew that Solimar Spa is located within Radisson Blu.

During business hours, there’s always the option to switch from virtual assistant to live assistant, and that process is seamless. It makes picking up the phone to call customer service (also still available!) feel antiquated. So the technology is advancing, but it still works best with a person on the other side of the screen.

One of the most exciting advances with the new chatbot: The ability to map locations within the mall and get suggestions based on proximity. It's a function that has long alluded app developers—I know this from my own experiment with an independent online guide to MOA. Unfortunately, the new mapping tool didn't actually work for me at MOA this week. I circled the entire mall—twice—while waving my iPhone around, trying to get the MOA app to pick up on my location. But it just kept asking if I was sure I was at the mall. PRETTY SURE, YEP! A message on my screen told me to connect with MOA WiFi and turn on Bluetooth, which I DID, and did again. I'll blame my phone, or incompetence—this time—and experiment again next time I'm at the mall. But if I were a typical customer, they already lost me.

As for Pepper, the robot is loaded with the same information provided through the online chatbot. And here's the thing: Pepper requires human supervision—to help curious shoppers figure out how to engage, and to make sure they don’t break her. For now, the robot seems to be more about novelty ("activation," the mall likes to call it) than it is about automating practical services.

There may come a day when robots are so common that shoppers actually look to them for assistance rather than lining up for selfies. Until then, it might be simpler to just ask Pepper's bodyguard for directions to Nordstrom. And if it's a martini you need to endure holiday shopping, simply tweet my colleague, food and dining editor Stephanie March (@stephmarch) for suggestions. She’ll send you to Twin City Grill for her favorite mall martini with blue cheese stuffed olives. The chatbot will tell you she’s sorry, but she does not have that information.

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Allison Kaplan is the former Shopping & Style editor for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. She is currently the Editor in Chief for Twin Cities Business magazine, and also a contributing editor for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.